... in the here and now

September 09, 2009

The A - Z of Happiness: E is for . . .

Energy

At the end of the day, it's all about energy. You and I, and everything else that exists in the physical universe may appear to have solid form. But it's all an illusion. We are all masses of energy vibrating at different frequencies.

Moods, feelings, emotions, states of being are all energy forms as well. And the energy of happiness is a high vibration, while the energy of sadness, despair and depression are low vibrations. So, in order to be happy we need to raise our energetic vibration and keep it in a high place.

Essentially, everything being discussed in this series is a tool to help you do just that. But if I were to pick out one single action that will exponentially increase your energetic vibration, it's meditation. That will, of course, be dealt with in more detail in M is for . . . - but we are kind of a long way from there yet, so in the meantime why not check out my series on the benefits of meditation.

When we meditate, we raise our energetic vibration. When we practice meditation on a daily basis, we incrementally increase our vibration so that over time we find ourselves to be in a happier place within, no matter what is going on without.

As with anything, the only way to know this for sure is to give it a go yourself (the final post in the series mentioned above talks about getting started).

Easeand Effortlessness

One of the secrets to being happy is to stop struggling with life. To allow things to unfold as they will. That is not to say you can't want certain things - of course you can. But you don't always have to bust a gut to achieve those things (and of course you can still be happy even if you don't achieve them - see D is for... Detach from your Desires)

A better way is to set the intention for what you want, be open to all sorts of ways of that coming about, and then take inspired action.

There's a difference between inspired action and hard work. And it has nothing to do with laziness. In fact, somebody who's taking inspired action to achieve their goals could be working quite had indeed. But, if it's inspired, and coming from the power of intention, it usually doesn't feel like hard work. There's pleasure in the process.

Hard work, by my definition, is work for the sake of the end goal. It's when enjoying the journey doesn't figure much, becuase the destination is the real focus. I know it's important to have a destination in mind - otherwise we could wander around aimlessly for years. But we don't know how long we're here for, we're not guaranteed to arrive at our destination, therefore to experience joy along the way we need to focus more on the journey.

Besides, as Lance recently discussed in Detours on the Path of Life, we're all going to encounter detours along the way. If we're too focused on the end game, we get upset, frustrated, anxious about those detours - states that detract from our happiness. And besides that, sometimes they lead to a new - and even better - destination than where we were originally headed.

"Least effort is expended when your actions are motivated by love, because nature is held together by the energy of love... when your actions are motivated by love, there is no waste of energy. When your actions are motivated by love, your energy multiplies and accumulates."

According to Chopra, miracles are the expression of this law, and he recommends the following practices to apply it:

Acceptance. Accept things (people, situations, circumstances, events) as they are in this moment, rather than focussing on how you wish they were.

Responsibility. This is actually not about blaming yourself (or anyone else), but about focusing on your ability to choose your response. It's about recognising that every "problem" in your life presents you with an opportunity for growth. It's about choosing to remain alert to those opportunities and transforming the situation into something of greater benefit, for yourself and for others.

Defenselessness. Let go of your desire to be right, to be viewed by others as being right, or smart, or wise. Be open to other points of view, be open to changing your mind, and be unconcerned about how others perceive your thinking.

Least effort is the path of non-resistance. And resistance is a seed for unhappiness. Let it go. Allow life to unfold as it will, and roll with it. Even if you don't like what's happening in the moment, your overall wellbeing will be enhanced by the lack of struggle.

4 Comments

Energy is SUCH an important one! Where in the world would we be without it?! And I love ease and effortlessness too...but what about effort? That one is also important. Again, really love this alphabet thing you have going on. It's great!

I do agree Dani, effort is also important. But for me, I think it's important that effort comes under the banner of inspired action. Whenever I slog my guts out doing the obvious tasks, I don't really enjoy the process quite so much as when I'm coming from a place of inspiration. That's when making an effort actually feels effortless - a pleasure more than a struggle. If that makes any sense?

Hilda,
"Inspired action" - I love it! It just sounds like it's the action we're supposed to be taking, whatever that happens to be. And then to couple that with this idea of just allowing life to unfold...I really find so much of the "right" connections in these two melded together. So good to think about Hilda - I'm loving "E" today!